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Geraldine Birch

Sedona: City Of Refugees

Synopsis

Sedona: City of Refugees is a biting look at a modern-day American tourist community caught in the throes of change. Set amid the scenic red rock beauty of Sedona, this is a story of a widowed middle-aged newspaper reporter searching for God and herself amid the rubble of her life.

Author Biography

Writing has been my passion since I sat down at my mother's old Remington typewriter at the age of ten, pecking away in the cozy kitchen nook of my grandmother’s house in Los Angeles. Since then, I’ve worked as a reporter and editor for small community newspapers in Southern California and Arizona; but my best beat was as a stringer for the Los Angeles Times Ventura County Bureau (no longer in existence) for a number of years. It was there, under the tutelage of a great editor that I really learned to write. Since then, I’ve moved into the realm of fiction with Sedona: City of Refugees and then historical fiction with The Swastika Tattoo, a book about a real German POW camp located near Phoenix during WWII. That book received an honorable mention in Reader's Favorite international book contest. My newspaper column “Gerrymandering” received a first place award from the National Newspaper Association. While awards mean one’s work is recognized and appreciated by judges, nothing thrills me more than having someone tell me they have enjoyed my books. I have recently finished my memoir, Vision of a Happy Life, and plan to bring a few chapters onto Bublish.

Author Insight

A Proposition

Kathleen, still grieving over the humiliations she suffered at the hands of her dead husband, cannot believe a complete stranger has asked her to come work for him.

Book Excerpt

Sedona: City Of Refugees

“Excuse me, Mrs. Buckley?”

“Yes?”

“My name is Jack Berens. I would like to talk to you sometime soon at your pleasure. I’d like to leave my business card with you, if you don’t mind.”

“What is this about?” A tone of suspicion crept into Kathleen’s voice.

“I have a new business in Sedona and would like to discuss the possibility of your working for me.”

“Mr. Berens...” Kathleen’s voice trailed off as she looked at his business card. It read, “Jack Berens, publisher, Sedona Chronicle.

“Jack. Please call me Jack. I know who you are Mrs. Buckley. You’re Kathleen Sullivan. You’ve worked for the Los Angeles Times and now the Arizona Republic. You’re a fine reporter but you’ve been wasting your talents. This is a growing area. There’s so much going on here that isn’t being covered properly, and I think you can do that for the Sedona Chronicle. I think you can make an impact here. Call me.”

Without another word, Jack Berens left the table and walked out of the restaurant. The two bankers followed him, both nodding to her as they left.

Kathleen looked again at the business card and put it in her purse.

Carrie smiled. “Hey, Kathy. Maybe this is the answer you’ve been looking for.”

“I don’t know. Coming back to Sedona would be difficult. In fact, it would be more than difficult.”

Carrie looked at Kathleen for a moment, and responded quietly but forcefully.

“How’s that famous saying go, Kathy? All things are difficult before they are easy.”

Kathleen laughed. “Yeah, but the guy who said that never lived in Sedona.”